Corn-husker.



H. BESSER.

CORN HUSKER.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 10, 1911.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

ATTORNEY.

mm mam-b wl NET %ATE@ HERMAN BESSER, OF ALPENA, MICHIGAN.

CORN-HUSKER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN Bmssna, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alpena, in the county of Alpena and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Huskers: and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is a corn hnsker and relates more particularly to hand implements for use in removing the husks from ears of corn.

The objects of the invention are to provide a hand implement by which the husks may be grasped and stripped from one side "ot' the ear, the butt of the ear severed, and

the husk from the opposite side of the ear stripped off, all without changing the position of the implement in the hand, the implement being so arranged as to accomplish these results with a very few movements of the hands, thereby lessening the labor and increasing speed.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide a hi'isking implement with which the operator can work for a long period of time without causing soreness or injury to his hands.

Still another object is to provide a husker that is light, inexpensive, simple in construe tion and not liable to get out of order.

The device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View showing a husker in position in the hand of the operator; Fig. 2 shows the husker stripping down the husks on one side of the ear of corn; Fig. 3 is an end view showing in dotted lines the position of the husker when closed; Fig. 4 is a top view of one of the handles; and Fig. 5 is a side view of the husker, showing in dotted lines the method of severing the butt from the ear.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, the device consists of two handles 1 and 2 arranged parallel with each other, to be received in the hand, as shown in Fig. 1. Curved aws 3 and 1 are carried by the handles respectively, the jaws being pivoted together as at 5, so they can be opened and closed by opening and closing the hand. The fingers of the operator are inserted beneath the strap 6 secured to the handle 1 aa*naiar ora ion.

Specification of Letters latcnt.

Application filed March 10, 1911.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

Serial No. 613,597.

and the thumb beneath the strap 7 secured to the handle 2. The extremities of the jaws 3 and .1; are preferably serrated at 9 and 10 in Fig. 3 to avoid tearing through and losing the grip on the husk, and one of the jaws as 3, is provided with an inwardly projecting knit'e blade 11 adapted to shear past the jaw i when the jaws are closed.

The ()IIJOI'tItlOIl ot the device is as follows: ll-Tolding the ear oil. corn in one hand, the husks on one side oi the car near the top are seized between the jaws 9 and 10 and stripped down to the butt. The jaws are then opened, the butt close to the ear is seized between the blade 11 and the jaw 4-, as indicated in Fig. 5, the handles are brought together, causing the blade 11 to nearly sever the butt, and with a slight bending movementthe butt is detached from the ear, and with a continuation oil the same movement the remaining husks which have adhered to the butt, are stripped oil.

It will thus be seen that in practice only three movements are required, first stripping the husk from one side of the ear, severing the butt, and stripping the remainder of the husk from the car.

It will be noticed that the arrangement of the handles 1 and 2 is such as to admit the butt between them when the jaws 3 and 4 are closed and that the hand of the operator is close up to the aws 3 and 41: and the knife 11, thereby enabling the operator to exert pressure right at the point where the butt is severed. Furthermore it will be noted that the two handles at all times lie flat in the hand, enabling the operator to exert the full strength of his hand it necessary, without cramping or straining the muscles.

The knite 11 is preferably flat on the outer side and slightly beveled on the inner side, as shown in Fig. 5, and the edge of the knife may be ground away to form a curved cutting edge 12 terminating in a rounded point 13. The purpose of beveling the knife on the inner side is to cause it to draw up close to the end of the ear of corn when severing the butt, and I have found in practice that the shape of the curved cutting edges 12 and 13 enables the knife to more easily sever the butt.

The straps (3 and 7 may be secured to the handle in any desired manner, but I prefer to secure them by adjustable 't'astenings such as a button 14- secured to the handle, and to provide the straps with openings 15 to receive the button, thereby enabling the straps carried by each jaw and projecting at right to be adjusted to suit the size of the operaangles to the plane of opening of said jaws tors hand. In practice I prefer to make the and straps secured to the handles, the ends 15 handle 1 and jaw 3 in one piece, and the hanof said jaws being curved and formed with dle 2 and jaw 4 in one piece, preferably castopposing serrations adapted to grip the husk ing each piece from aluminum or other suitwhen the jaws are closed.

able light and strong material. In testimony whereof, I affix my signa- Having described my invention, what I ture in presence of two witnesses. claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat- HERMAN BESSER. 10 ent, is WVitnesses:

In a corn husker comprising a pair of WILL A. PRINCE, pivotally connected curved jaws, a handle J. R. MOHARG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

